Time's Champion
by JustOneLittleProblem
Summary: In the aftermath of the nearly disastrous fight with the Master, Rose and the Doctor are launched into a series of adventures together. But war is looming, and Gallifrey is in the crosshairs. Can Bad Wolf prevent the Last Great Time War before it begins? (Sequel to Time is Short)
1. Chapter 1

_If you came to me with a face I have not seen, with a name I have never heard, I would still know you. Even if centuries separated us, I would still feel you. Somewhere between the sand and the stardust, through every collapse and creation, there is a pulse that echoes of you and I._

 _Love is the only thing we take with us. It is the only thing we carry from one life to the next._

 _\- Lang Leav_

The Doctor glanced up as Rose entered the console room. She appeared to be breathing more normally. A small frown creased her face. The Doctor stood, stretched, and crossed over to her, taking her hand as he did so. It felt as natural as breathing. "What's wrong?"

She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand. "Nothing is wrong with the treatment you gave me for my ribs. But didn't you say that the TARDIS doesn't talk much?"

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. "Did she speak?"

Rose shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. But she still studied his face anxiously. "Yeah, she gave me directions and complained about your decorating. No biggie."

There was the sound of what might have been muffled laughter from the duct tape cocoon containing the Master. The Doctor couldn't help but smile at Rose. Then he sobered, just slightly. "Rose, in over a millennium of travelling, the TARDIS has never spoken to any of my human traveling companions, and only rarely to other Time Lords. That she's spoken to you…"

He trailed off, at a loss for words for the first time in this body. Rose looked at him, head tilted to one side. "Is that bad?"

The Doctor hesitated. "Not necessarily."

Abruptly Rose's gaze focused avidly on a spot across the room. She stifled a grin. "Is that a fishpond?"

The Doctor grinned at her. "It is."

Rose shifted her weight, looking thoughtful. "What'd you need a fishpond for?"

The Doctor smiled wryly. "The TARDIS installed it, and I think it's mostly to throw me in when I misbehave badly enough."

Rose snickered. "What the heck would you do to earn _that_?"

The Doctor swallowed, thinking of how he'd broken Ace's spirit in order to save her life. And wished he hadn't. The Doctor cast around for a distraction. And found one. Tugging Rose over to the console, the Doctor started setting the coordinates. He grinned at Rose. "How would you like to see my home planet, Gallifrey?"

Rose grinned back, bouncing up and down slightly. "Are you kidding? I'd love to! Seeing the Master get what he richly deserves is just a bonus."

The Doctor flipped the dematerialisation lever. "Very well."

Rose bit her lip. "Is this a good occasion for a dress?"

The Doctor laughed. "I think I'd be a tad conspicuous."

Rose was puzzled for a moment, then laughed and dug him in the ribs. "Not for you. For me. I don't think they'd like it if I showed up in my jimjams."

The Doctor dropped his gaze, realising for the first time that she was still wearing the old, paint-splattered t-shirt, and ratty flannel pyjama bottoms. He met her gaze again. "I think it would be an excellent idea to show you the wardrobe room." He held out his hand. Rose took it, smiling happily.

The wardrobe room was a massive circular room, painted in bronze and jewel tones. What it lacked in diameter, it more than made up for in sheer height. A spiral staircase sprouted in the middle of the room, stopping at regular intervals to branch out into glass-floored catwalks. Rose was more than a little awed by the size of it all. She glanced at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye. "Okay. So what do I wear, and how do I find it?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Is rather large, isn't it?"

Rose nodded, feeling amused. Who knew her life would come to this? Traveling aboard a sentient timeship with a distinct dislike for her partner's decorating choices, taking a rogue Time Lord to trial. The Doctor gestured up to what might have been the fourth or fifth level, though it was hard to tell. "Fifth level, the clothes marked 2005. You could go with evening wear, but I'd recommend something you can run in."

Rose pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Is it that likely for there to be trouble?"

An embarrassed smile played over the Doctor's lips, and he shrugged. "Unfortunately, my people have a reputation for being pompous and bitchy."

"Saw that, thanks." Rose muttered.

The Doctor gave her his best kicked puppy expression. Then he put on a look of quiet dignity. "As I was saying, I've been forced to regenerate, nearly executed, exiled, and put on mock trial."

Rose felt outraged. "Why?"

The Doctor smiled wryly. "Unfortunately, the Time Lords have a strict no-interference policy when it comes to time. And I quite regularly flout that policy. Saving people is my modus operandi."

Suddenly several things made sense to Rose. "You've saved Earth before, haven't you? Against the Time Lord's orders, no less. That's what our favourite bundle of duct tape and mind control meant when he said that the earth is precious to you."

The Doctor's eyes went a little distant, and Rose wondered if he was really a thousand years old. He acted so damn young sometimes, but other times, you could practically feel the weight of years. Then he pulled himself back to reality. "I have, many times." He cocked his head as if listening. "We've landed. I'll see you in a few minutes."

He strode off. Sore subject, much? Rose thought. Shaking her head, Rose headed up the stairs. Ten minutes later, Rose had selected an outfit that appealed to her, and dressed. Standing in front of the vanity, Rose wondered what she was going to do for makeup.

Traveling with the Doctor had certainly been an impulsive decision. One that didn't really allow time to pack. As if the TARDIS had read her mind, a makeup set shimmered into view in front of her. Grinning, Rose reached for it.

The Doctor was under the console, welding together two wires doubtless damaged by the Master, when he heard Rose's distinctive light tread. Exhaling a puff of dusty air, the Doctor carefully sat up. And nearly had to reattach his jaw when he saw Rose.

She wore a black leather jacket and a Union Jack t-shirt paired with dark jeans and boots. Her hair was brushed out and hung loose, catching the diffuse light of the TARDIS. The way her eyes caught and reflected the light like a galaxy of tiny stars; for just a second it reminded him of something he couldn't quite remember.

Another image was briefly superimposed over her, making the Doctor blink in surprise. He got a fleeting impression of golden flame, and another Rose with her eyes aflame. Then it was gone, along with the sense of preja vu.

Then it was just Rose, smiling at him nervously. Though the Doctor had to admit that she was never just Rose. He had a second realisation that although he wasn't normally susceptible to visual stimuli, she looked nice. Very nice. Rose turned in a slow circle as he tried not to stare. "What do you think? Am I decent?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Uhh." Nice, Doctor, he chided himself. Very articulate. "You look beautiful."

Rose smiled shyly at him, tongue poking out between her teeth. "Wasn't what I was asking, but I won't turn down a compliment, either."

The Doctor stood up, brushing a few stubborn motes of dust from his frock coat. "You're fine. Don't worry, Rose, you're not breaking any laws."

Abruptly, his smile widened. "If we have time, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Curiosity lit a spark in Rose's eyes. "Who?"

"Leela of the Sevateem, my good friend and former traveling companion."

Rose favoured him with a cheeky grin. "I'd love to meet her! We can bond over your fashion choices."

Inwardly, the Doctor grinned. He clapped a hand over his mouth. "What travesties am I about to unleash on the surface of Gallifrey?"

Rose looked him up and down pointedly, and grinned. Still smiling, he picked up the duct tape wrapped bundle that was the Master, and offered Rose a hand. "It's not a good idea to keep the Lady President of Gallifrey waiting." Rose smiled, a bit anxiously, and accepted his hand.

The Doctor pushed open the doors, allowing a wash of pale light to enter the TARDIS. A wellspring of anxiety churned in the pit of her stomach. What if she messed this up? Rose had only been to one legal proceeding in her life, and that a domestic violence citation.

They stepped out, into a small, boxy room with pink-flecked walls and a glossy, greyish floor. It was empty, except for seven guards in elaborate robes and skullcaps, and a young-looking woman with dark hair in an elegant chignon. Her eyes immediately fixed on Rose, making Rose feel as if she was being x-rayed.

Rose didn't like it one bit. The Doctor none too gently dropped the Master on the floor, eliciting another round of muffled bitching. The Doctor bowed to the woman, who Rose figured was the Lady President.

He signaled that Rose should do the same, and belatedly, she did. "Might I present the President of the High Council of the Time Lords, Lady Flavia?"

Lady Flavia nodded regally, and flicked an imperious finger at the Master. "Unbind him."

Sonic screwdriver already in hand, the Doctor bent over the Master. A few moments later, the duct tape cocoon fell away, cut neatly in half. The Doctor straightened, and Rose noticed with a pang that his posture was stiff, and his face a blank mask. The Master got up, shrugging off the duct tape, and smirked. He addressed Lady Flavia. "Thank you for letting me out of there. The flirting was becoming unbearable."

Rose flushed. Bastard. A muscle twitched in the Doctor's jaw. The Lady President ran her gaze over them. A corner of her mouth twitched up. Rose got the impression that this was as close as she'd come to rib-busting laughter.

She turned around, walking toward the door. "Walk with me, Doctor. Bring your companion."

Lady Flavia touched her hand to a pad near the door, and the guillotine door slid open with a quiet hiss. At this point, two guards and the Master split off from their group, and went down a side hallway. They appeared to be heading for a dead end, which confused Rose, until the rest of their party clustered at the end of the hall.

Rose squeezed in next to the Doctor in an effort to avoid the Lady President. The woman still freaked her out somewhat. A blue light and a sensation like getting ripped apart and reassembled engulfed them, and they were gone.

When the transmat spat them out again, they were in a soaring room with a transparent ceiling. The stars were out in all their splendour. For just a second, they took the Doctor's breath away. A crowd gathered, directly blocking their path. They didn't look threatening, but the Doctor knew that could change in an instant.

He glanced over at Rose. She looked faintly green. The Doctor smiled at her, and squeezed her hand. She smiled back. The Time Lady shot them a faintly impatient glance, and moved forward, her guards moving ahead of her. Rose and the Doctor fell in behind her. The crowd jostled and fought them all along the way. The Doctor kept a watchful eye to his left, trusting Rose to watch out to his right.

A flurry of activity erupted on Rose's side. He heard Rose shout something, and then Lady Flavia was falling one way, a knife sticking out of her shoulder. A Gallifreyan in brown technician's robes fell the other, as if pushed. He scrambled to his feet, and disappeared into the crowd. Rose hovered anxiously by the injured Time Lady, patting the knife nervously as if contemplating pulling it out.

Then she was being dragged to her feet by two of the chancellery guards. They held her arms twisted behind her back in what had to be a very painful position. The Doctor lunged forward, battling against an irrational urge to attack the guards. "ROSE!"

Realising the futility of his actions, the Doctor stopped, furiously adjusting the cuffs on his coat. Rose hung limply in their grasp, not struggling. There was an incredible amount of trust in her gaze. And the Doctor couldn't do a damn thing to justify that trust. That was when Lady Flavia levered herself up with her good arm. "Drop her. She saved me. The assassin meant to sever my spinal cord and rupture both hearts."

One of the guards opened his mouth. "But my Lady, it is a dangerous alien!"

The Lady President levelled a glare on him fit to turn him to ice. _"I said drop her!"_

Two guards wilted simultaneously, and Rose hit the floor with a thud that made the Doctor wince. Rose was not phased, immediately getting to her feet, and running over to Lady Flavia. "Are you okay?"

Lady Flavia looked somewhat shocked at Rose's breach of protocol, but then she seemed to take the question at face value, and smiled wryly. "I believe the term you humans use is 'just peachy'."

The Doctor shook his head, smiling. Was there anyone Rose couldn't win over? Rose eyed the spreading stain in the Lady President's robe. "Can you stand? I think it'd be in your best interest to get some medical care before you regenerate."

The Time Lady shot the Doctor a startled look. Then she smiled at Rose. "Yes, thank you. That would be marvellous."

Rose helped her to her feet, and Lady Flavia glared around her at the crowd. "Kindly disperse before I have the lot of you arrested and put on trial."

Her icy tone made it known that she meant every word of the threat. Three beats of silence, and then a general stampede for the exits. The Time Lady and the human exchanged conspiratorial smiles.

The Doctor had the feeling that he'd just created the most dangerous partnership of the millennium. If the Doctor could guess, the Lady President was as smug as a cat in the cream. Rose shot him a grin. "Much better."

While Lady Flavia got her necessary medical attention, Rose and the Doctor were escorted to their quarters. Rose got the impression that the guards still mistrusted her. At least judging by the glares she'd been getting. Rose felt saddened and frustrated.

Done exploring the opulent but impersonal room, Rose flopped down on the four poster bed. She didn't notice the Doctor watching her with a soft smile. Abruptly, she sat up as a question occurred to her. "Why is there only one bed?"

The Doctor sat up from where he sprawled across the couch. An amused, slightly embarrassed smile played across his lips. "The Lady President thinks we're lovers. Normally that would be frowned upon. At one point in my youth, you could be executed for taking a human as a lover. But this is a much more progressive era. Now it's viewed with amused condescension."

The Doctor sounded slightly bitter. Three sharp raps on the door. The Doctor got up and opened the door. Lady Flavia stood there, resplendent in fresh robes. She stepped quickly over the doorstep, and seated herself in the chair across from the Doctor. She tipped her head meaningfully at Rose, and the Doctor looked mulish.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and the Doctor sighed. He looked at her apologetically. "Rose, would you mind waiting outside? We'll only be a minute." That stung, just a little. But Rose got up and left.

The moment when the door closed, Lady Flavia looked at him oddly. "Her timelines are… almost alarming." The Doctor tilted his head, frowning slightly. "How so? I can't see her timeline, but I hear that is normal for those whose timelines are intertwined."

The haunted look on the Lady President's face chilled his blood. "Her timeline is woven through all of time and space. Everything from the dark times to the very end of things, she has touched it, and shaped it."

The Doctor opened his mouth and shut it. "But she's human! Not even one of us could do that."

The Time Lady looked tired. "I don't know how she does it, did it, or will do it. What else out of the ordinary has she done?"

The Doctor carefully examined his fingers. "She threw off the Master's hypnosis twice. And the TARDIS spoke to her."

Lady Flavia frowned delicately. "That's certainly unusual. But the TARDIS could just like her, and she could be possessed of an unusually strong will."

The Doctor shook his head. "Your first point is plausible, but the second? We both know how overwhelmingly powerful Time Lord hypnosis is normally, but hyped up by the deathworm? A Time Lord or Lady would barely be able to break free."

Lady Flavia leaned forward, interest lighting up her eyes. "I heard about the ruckus on Skaro, of course, but not that. Tell me more."

The Doctor's lips quirked. "It was how I got involved with Rose. After the Master broke free of the stasis casket, I was forced to make an emergency landing in London, 2005. I was shot, about to regenerate, and that was when Rose found me…"

Rose sagged against the wall, trying not to feel slightly resentful. Hadn't she proved her worth when she'd fought off that assassin? Next to her, someone cleared their throat politely. Rose looked up. A Time Lady in an elaborate red gown stood there. She was the first Time Lord or Lady Rose had seen who wasn't precisely pretty. Her face was all sharp angles, but her blue eyes were of a deep turquoise so unusual that Rose had to resist the urge to stare. "Hello?" Rose said uncertainly.

The Time Lady smiled brightly, and it instantly sent alarm screaming up Rose's spine. "I am Lady Irida of the Inner Council of the Time Lords. You must be Rose Tyler."

Rose nodded, trying to hide her unease. She didn't want to make an enemy of this woman. "I am."

The woman laughed, and the sound tinkled like broken glass cascading out of a garbage truck. Pretty, shiny, and ready to slice you to ribbons should you approach it wrong. "You're so cute! Of course, any Time Lady or Lord would know who you are. Your timelines are so distinctive. What else can you do?"

Rose cast about for anything that might interest Lady Irida. She didn't think telling her that she could fold a stack of jumpers in thirty seconds would fly. "The TARDIS talks to me, and I threw off the Master's mind control. Twice."

Rose shrugged, trying to seem just the right amount of boring. "Other than that, not much."

A spark of avarice flitted across Lady Irida's features so fast Rose thought she might have imagined it. But it still had time to unsettle her. Like the answer to her prayers, the Doctor's muffled voice came from within their quarters. "Rose, you can come back in now."

Rose nodded as politely as she could, and edged back into the room. "It was nice talking to you." While thinking it was anything but. The whole time, the Time Lady watched Rose with those unsettling turquoise eyes.

Rose appeared in the doorway, looking slightly nervous and shaken. The Doctor remembered the last time she'd looked like that, and felt a thrill of fear. "Rose, is everything all right?"

Rose forced a grin, and picked her way over to sit down next to him. "I'm fine. There was just this Time Lady. Lady Irida, I think her name was."

The Doctor felt a flame of outrage growing between his hearts. "What did she say to you?" Both he and Lady Flavia said at the same time.

They looked at each other for a moment, surprise colouring the Doctor's expression, a knowing look on Lady Flavia's face. The Doctor turned his attention back to Rose. Rose seemed to be searching for the right words. "She called my timelines distinctive, and she asked what else I could do. So I told her."

The Doctor rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why did you do that? It'll only attract attention of the wrong kind."

Rose glared at him. "She gave me the creeps! I didn't want to tick her off."

Lady Flavia settled the argument once and for all. "Rose is right. Lady Irida is potentially dangerous, and is currently under investigation. Don't leave her alone with Lady Irida."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes tiredly. Was the nothing that the universe did not see fit to complicate? Lady Flavia's eyes flicked meaningfully between Rose and the Doctor. "I will take my leave now. Get some rest. Especially you, Doctor. The complications of your regeneration could cause problems, otherwise."

She got up, smoothing down the front of her robes. Lady Flavia nodded to Rose. "Goodnight, Rose. That was a good thing you did."

Rose smiled at her. "We made a good team."

Lady Flavia smiled ever so slightly. "So we did."

She left. Rose smiled at the Doctor, but then her gaze focused on the opposite wall. "Why did someone write 'Bad Wolf' on the wall? In English, no less."

The Doctor stared at the spot she was indicating in confusion. Sure, someone had written Bad Wolf, but it was in circular Gallifreyan, not English. Unless… "Rose, remember the post it notes on the TARDIS console? What language were they in?"

Rose frowned. "At first they were just circles, but then you must've changed them, because they were in English."

The Doctor's mind raced. Why would the TARDIS translate Gallifreyan? It just didn't make sense. Nothing about Rose made sense. "The TARDIS is translating for you. The question is, why would she do that? She never translates Gallifreyan."

Rose shrugged. "Maybe she likes me."

The Doctor decided to let the mystery of a certain Rose Tyler go. "Maybe she does."

Rose yawned, and the Doctor could sympathise. "Come on, Rose Tyler. We'll only get about two hours sleep at this point, and that may be enough for me, but it isn't even close for you."

Patting him on the shoulder, Rose shucked off her boots and jacket, and crawled into the bed. A couple minutes later, Rose sat up, and glanced at the Doctor. "Are you seriously gonna sleep on the couch? C'mon, the bed's huge." The Doctor pulled off his shoes, and climbed in next to Rose.

She crept into the room, face muffled by several scarves. In the almost nonexistent light, two lumps were visible in the bed. The Rani swore silently. She had not counted on the darn dratted Doctor taking the girl as a lover. She spied long hair draped across the pillow of the nearest form. The Doctor didn't have long hair in his current body. So it had to be Rose Tyler. She had to be quick. Or they'd both wake up.

Darting in, the Rani pressed the chloroform-soaked rag to the unseen face of her victim. She slowly counted to three, waiting for something to happen. And then something did. 'Rose Tyler' burst out of bed, already swinging. The Rani took a punch to the face, and had her feet swept from under her in short order. Scrambling to her feet, the Rani bolted from the room. Clearly, the Doctor had regenerated. Why hadn't the prissy moron told her that?

The Doctor hadn't seen much, too much of his assailant's face had been covered by a scarf. But the eyes had been exposed. They were some pale colour, that might have been blue. Crawling back into bed beside Rose, the Doctor sniffed the rag. Chloroform.

A touch of worry and protective wrath grew inside of him. Someone had meant to take Rose. Had even procured human drugs. The Doctor threw the rag at the wall. The Doctor stayed awake, listening to Rose's slow, even breathing. He stayed that way for a long time.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Rose peeled open one eyelid. The Doctor gazed back at her, an amused smirk curling his lips. Rose groaned. It was too early for this. "What?"

The Doctor grinned, sliding off the bed. "The trial is in two hours. I thought you might want to eat something before the trial starts. And there's some things I need to tell you about last night."

Rose pulled the pillow over her head. "Like?"

Rose couldn't see his face, but his tone was a lot less serene than usual. "There was a kidnapping attempt last night. Someone mistook me for you."

Rose rolled out of bed, feet hitting the floor with a thump. "Okay. I'm awake. Mostly."

By the time they'd snuck past the chancellery guard, and were in the TARDIS, two steaming cups of tea and two plates of croissants were waiting for them. The Doctor slid a mug of tea and a plate towards Rose. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, until the Doctor drank his tea.

Setting his mug down, the Doctor inched his hand closer to Rose's untouched mug. Rose glared at him, but the corner of her lip twitched. "Stop right there, mate."

In one swift movement, the Doctor snatched up the mug of tea, and took a sip. "Hey! That's mine!" Rose said.

The Doctor grimaced. It was very bitter. But he still had to tease Rose. It was too fun. He grinned at her. "Don't you humans have a saying, 'possession is nine tenths of the law'?"

Rose grinned slyly at him. "We do." Quick as a bolt of lightning, Rose snatched up the Doctor's croissant, and took a bite out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

They were seated in a massive room made of the same pink-flecked material as everywhere else she'd seen. Three long, heavy tables sat in a horseshoe shape. The Master and his guards sat at the table opposite them. The entire Inner Council, plus Lady Flavia, sat at the table forming the 'arch' of the horseshoe. In the centre of the floor, Lady Darkel paced, laying out the charges. "You stand accused of attempted genocide, and attempted disruption of the Web of Time by destroying one of its key anchors. Do you have a defence to bring?"

Rose held her breath. The Master sneered at Lady Darkel, which Rose personally thought was very unwise. "Only that the key word is 'attempted'."

Rose got the impression that Lady Darkel would have rolled her eyes if she'd been human. "That in and of itself is not a defence. Do you have a valid defence to enter, or shall we proceed to hearing our witnesses describe the events around the alleged crimes?"

The Master shook his head, smirking. A sinking feeling began in the pit of Rose's stomach. Why was he so smug? Had he somehow sabotaged the trial? Rose wouldn't put it past him. The Inquisitor's eyes narrowed. Apparently she suspected something too. "Very well. Doctor, describe in a concise a manner as possible the events surrounding the near detonation of the Time bomb."

As the Doctor described the events that led up to the nearly catastrophic fight between them and the Master, and was cross examined by the Inquisitor and the Master, Rose found herself falling into a doze. Seemingly two seconds later, the Doctor was shaking her shoulder. Rose jerked upright, blinking stupidly. Lady Darkel watched her patiently.

The Inquisitor repeated her question. "Miss Tyler, would you please tell your version of events?"

Rose did. By the end of it, Rose's stomach was churning with nerves. The Master was smart enough not to interrupt Rose. When she finished, he sneered. "With all due respect, Inquisitor Darkel, why you let a _human_ stand witness, I will never understand."

Beside her, Rose felt the Doctor still. Lady Darkel's eyes blazed with the first sign of temper Rose had seen from her. But her voice was icily polite. "You do not have to understand. Now, do you have any questions for Miss Tyler?"

The Master's sneer intensified. "No, I do not. I did it, and I would do it again. And if you think otherwise, then you're a bunch of small minded, pompous, overgrown loomlings."

A round of shocked gasps and tutting went up. Rose raised an eyebrow, and exchanged a glance with the Doctor. She made a mental note to ask the Doctor what a loomling was. Lady Darkel cleared her throat, and as if by magic, every eye in the room was pulled to her. "The Council will deliberate now. Results will be announced in thirty minutes."

The Doctor nudged Rose. "I do believe that's our cue."

They, along with the Master and his escort, dutifully got up and filed out into the expansive hall. Seated on a bench in the hall, Rose noted with a pang that the Doctor was still and serenely emotionless again. Only his eyes told the true story. His crystal blue eyes were dark and troubled. Cognisant of the Master sitting across from them, leering at her, she leaned in closer to the Doctor. "Do you think the trial is going to fail?" She whispered.

The Doctor moved closer to her, as if seeking comfort. "Did you see the manner in which Lady Irida was behaving? And more importantly, the Councillors around her?"

Rose shook her head ever so slightly. She'd either been watching the Master warily, or dozing. The Doctor smiled, though it looked like his hearts weren't in it. "There was only one person who wasn't fawning over her. Lady Flavia."

Rose's eyes widened, and she turned to stare at him. "Lady Irida wants the Lady President of Gallifrey dead?"

The Doctor's lips curled up. "It certainly looks damning, doesn't it?" Abruptly the Doctor sat up straighter. "It's time. The time damper has been lifted."

The Doctor got to his feet, and offered Rose his arm. "Shall we, Rose Tyler?"

Rose smiled at him, and rested her fingers lightly on his arm. "Probably for the best, Doctor."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed the Master pretending to gag. Not sure whether to laugh or blush, Rose simply turned her head and ignored him instead. A few minutes later, they were once again seated. The Master grinned across at her, looking insufferably smug. Almost as if he knows what's gonna happen, Rose thought. Rose glared at him. Lady Darkel stared around her, catching each person's eye in turn. Slowly but steadily, a hush fell over the room. Something in Lady Darkel's eyes and posture indicated that she wasn't very happy.

"The verdict is in. The Master's punishment is as follows: he will not visit earth under any circumstances, at any point in its history. To ensure this, a temporal coordinates lock will be placed on his TARDIS. In addition, the renegade formerly known as Koschei will be given a new regeneration cycle." She looked at the Doctor and Rose, and Rose thought she detected a hint of bitterness in those dark eyes. "The witnesses are dismissed."

Bile and anger swelled in Rose's stomach like a wayward tidal wave as what the Inquisitor had said sunk in. The Master had gotten away with it. His list of crimes were endless, even if they were tiny when weighed up against the five billion lives he'd tried to take. Rose rose to her feet, fists clenched and shaking.

She glared murderously at the Inner Council of the Time Lords. "You took a genocidal wanker, and unleashed him upon an unsuspecting universe! Is it a good thing that he can't destroy earth? Absolutely! But think of all the other people, under other skies, who will be tortured and murdered and tossed aside like broken toys. That's what you've done, you-" She was still calling them increasingly creative names as the Doctor gently dragged her away.

As the Doctor piloted the TARDIS, he kept a watchful eye on Rose. She was curled up on his favourite chair, reading a book. Rose seemed calmer now, but the look of pain and anger on her face would be forever etched into his brain, even as her look of concern and compassion for a complete stranger as he lay dying in an alley would be forever seared into his hearts. She might not have been the first face this body had seen, but she was the last one to show his previous body kindness, and that left an even deeper mark.

The softly glowing blue time rotor ground to a halt, and the Doctor moved over to Rose. She looked up at him, face unreadable. "Where are we?"

The Doctor's lips quirked. "Near the Lake of Tranquility. I thought you'd like to meet Leela before we left."

Rose gently placed the book aside, and the Doctor noted that it was a Robert Heinlein novel. He made a note to introduce her to the famous author later. She bounced to her feet. Rose gave him a small smile, and moved to take his hand. The Doctor pulled open the doors, and they stepped out. Rose exhaled sharply, and the Doctor had to agree. It was beautiful. As mad as he was at his people's excesses, Gallifrey itself was radiant.

Off in the distance, trees with silver foliage stretched towards the suns, and long red grass waved gently in the breeze. A lake with blue-green glass smooth water stretched into the distance. They smiled at each other for a moment. "How would you like a picnic while we wait for Leela?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Doctor started pulling food containers and a blanket out of his pockets. Rose smiled, shaking her head in fond exasperation. "Just how long have you been plannin' this?"

The Doctor sat down, and Rose did the same. "Since this morning."

Rose got a strange look on her face. The Doctor opened up a container of marmalade, and stuck a finger in it. Rose shook her head sharply at him. The Doctor grinned unrepentantly. Abruptly Rose straightened, gazing over his shoulder at something - or rather, someone, because the Doctor could feel the distinctive presence of another Gallifreyan. Specifically, Romana's second self. He sat up straighter, turning around.

Two figures, one blonde, the other brunette, were steadily approaching from about fifty feet away. "If that's Leela, then who's she?" Rose asked curiously, indicating Romana with a tilt of her head.

The Doctor smiled, remembering all the adventures he'd had with Romana, first as a grudging ally, then as a friend. "That's Romana, my friend and former traveling companion. Last I heard, she was next in line for Lady President of Gallifrey."

Rose's eyes widened, and she took another look at Romana. "Really? She doesn't have the whole 'made out of ice' thing going on." Then Rose continued, with a teasing air. "Do all your traveling companions live on Gallifrey after they retire? Can't say I'd mind, not as long as I could stay far away from the politics."

That startled a laugh out of the Doctor. A vivid mental image blossomed in the Doctor's brain of Rose, Leela, and Romana all living in a villa by the lake, and organising periodic concerted bitching sessions at the Inner Council. The Doctor devolved into helpless laughter.

After a second, Rose joined him. The wheezing groan of a TARDIS materialising cut through the air, even as Leela and Romana drew even with them. When Lady Flavia stepped out, she joined the other Time Lady and the human in staring perplexedly at the incapacitated duo. Finally managing to get ahold of themselves, the Doctor and Rose raised their heads.

The Doctor focused on the Lady President. When he saw her expression, he suppressed a shiver. Cold, black wrath seethed and boiled sluggishly behind her eyes. Leaping to his feet, he began to gather up the picnic. Rose got up to help.

Once the picnic was packed up, the Doctor turned to Lady Flavia. "What's wrong? Surely this wasn't a pleasure trip."

Lady Flavia shook her head ever so slightly. "Not here." She said, leading him well out of earshot.

Lady Flavia shut her eyes, breathing in and out. When her eyes opened, her gaze seethed with rage. "Lady Irida was the Rani. She'd been dosing the entire Inner Council on a potent drug that affected their mental states, made them into her adoring slaves. She revealed herself today, and escaped via her TARDIS. The Inner Council is in shambles. They're all having mental breakdowns that may or may not be irreversible."

The Doctor had a nasty suspicion that she needed something from him. Omega forbid she ask him to take a Council seat. She started talking, and the Doctor's jaw clenched. "I need your help to capture the Rani. Rose is the only option. The Rani wants her, so I say give her a prize she'll choke on."

The Doctor swallowed down a growl of rage, and forced words past clenched teeth instead. "You know perfectly well the kind of things that the Rani puts her _subjects_ through. Rose will be bait over my cold funeral pyre. That is final."

Blazing blue eyes stared into steely brown for a long moment. Then the Lady President bowed her head. "Very well." But there was a small, satisfied smile playing around her lips as she walked away.

As if this was what she'd wanted all along. The Doctor found that a very disturbing thought. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes. Why couldn't life be simple?

Rose glanced up from one of Leela's tales about the Doctor and his scarf to see the Doctor bearing down on them. His mouth looked tight, and his eyes were not dancing with their usual sparkle. But when he saw Rose looking at him, he smiled at her. Rose grinned back. Leela wrapped up her story, watching them with a funny look in her eyes. The Doctor glanced at Rose. "Ready to go back to the TARDIS?"

Rose grasped the Doctor's hand, and ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "Of course. Can we visit?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "Gladly, Rose."

Rose turned to Leela and Romana. She hugged Leela. "It was great meeting you, it really was. It's great to know that your version of the Doctor had just as eccentric fashion sense as my two regenerations do."

Leela smiled, and hugged her back. "Be sure to come back soon, Rose. Oh, and I have a gift for you."

Leela pulled back slightly, and fished a wrapped bundle out of her pocket, and gave it to Rose. Puzzled, Rose turned it over in her hands. "What is it?"

Leela grinned brightly at her, and there was an innocent quality to it that made Rose smile. "It's a janice thorn. I suspect you'll be needing it soon."

Rose recoiled from the object in her hands. Romana, noting her reaction, said soothingly, "I fixed them so they're not fatal. They only paralyse for twenty minutes or so."

Rose breathed out a sigh of relief. Then she levelled a mock-reproachful stare on Romana. "I really wish you'd tell me when you met me."

Romana just smiled at her. "You'll find out soon." Rose hugged Romana, and walked away with the Doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose turned her mobile phone over and over pensively. Abruptly she looked up at the Doctor, who was reading a book on the temporal physics of the time vortex. "Were you loomed? When you talked about it, it seemed as if you weren't a loomling."

The Doctor lifted his head from his book to peer at her. He was wearing half moon spectacles that he'd found while cleaning the TARDIS. As usual, his blue eyes were a little soft and unfocused for a moment before they settled on her. "I wasn't loomed." The Doctor said quietly.

Curiosity piqued, Rose waited quietly. She'd learned that unless he got distracted, it was best not to prompt the Doctor. He'd only start rambling. After a long pause, he continued. "I'm half human on my mother's side. My father was a Time Lord."

Rose had a sneaking suspicion that things had not ended well for his parents. Rose noted how distracted he looked, as if he were recalling things best left forgotten. Rose brushed a stray hair out of her face. "What happened to them?"

The Doctor's lips twitched up in a wry little half-smile. "Like so much else these days, I don't remember. I grew up on Gallifrey from an early age."

Rose jumped as a metallic bleating much like a sheep being tortured with death metal ripped through the room at deafening volume. "What the blazes is that?"

The Doctor's eyes lit up, and abruptly he was all puppy-like enthusiasm. The Doctor whipped off his spectacles, and placed them in his pocket. "That, Rose Tyler, is an out-of-place object alert. Somewhere, somewhen, an alien artefact or something similar is out of its native place and time. It is our duty as responsible time travellers to return it, before it wreaks havoc."

The Doctor flew out of his seat, and bounced over to the console. Rose quickly got out of her seat to follow, and went to stand by the Doctor, who was swiftly imputing coordinates. She grinned cheekily at him, tongue poking out from between her teeth. "What if it's somebody's toothbrush?"

The Doctor grinned at her. "Then the TARDIS will have something new to add to her collection." Right as the time rotor began to rise and fall with the familiar groaning wheeze, the Doctor patted the console affectionately, adding, "The old girl is something of a magpie."

Rose smiled. She'd only been traveling with the Doctor for two weeks, and already she'd never felt more at home. Rose glanced at the scanner, and frowned. "Coal Hill School? That's right near the Estates."

Privately, Rose sincerely hoped that the Doctor wasn't about to land them in the middle of a classroom. That'd be a tad hard to explain. The Doctor grinned happily. "I have a feeling that the trouble is in the school. Rose, how would you like to put your art skills to use?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Yep, he was definitely up to something. "How exactly, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled, eyes twinkling with barely suppressed merriment. "Why, as an art teacher, of course! I suspect they'll have a pair of vacancies very soon."

The next day, standing in the staff room with the Doctor before the start of class, Rose wondered how the heck the Doctor had managed to rope her into this. The lanyard around her neck felt like it weighed a hundred kilograms, and she was not enjoying the curious glances and whispers of the other staff. The bell rang with an earsplitting buzz, and the Doctor broke off talking to one of the other teachers.

The Doctor smiled at her, and softly kissed her cheek. Then he left. Rose stared after him stupidly. It was not something that should have made her heart thump erratically, but it did. Rose lightly touched her fingers to the place where his lips had been, and smiled. She was garnering slightly weird looks from the other teachers now, but she didn't care. The whole way to her class, she smiled.

Rose paused for a moment to wipe her brow, and pry a few sweat-soaked hairs from her skin. How much would it cost them to replace the air conditioning? It was July, 1997, and it was sweltering. The kids were quietly sketching on their pads - for the moment.

Earlier, they'd been bombarding her with the most embarrassing questions they could think of, just to try and make her squirm. Not that they were really kids, any more than she was. They were sixth formers, and that meant that most of them were only two or three years Rose's junior. It was rather a depressing thought.

The bell rang, and there was a clatter as kids rushed to put away their supplies and turn in their drawings. Rose had asked them to draw a memory, and most of them were fairly mundane. When the last girl came to turn in her drawing, Rose looked at the drawing, and felt the blood drain from her face. It was a surprisingly realistic scene.

But what made it truly interesting was the TARDIS fading away in the centre of the scene. Rose studied the girl again. Blue eyes, cropped blonde hair, and a lithe, wiry runner's build. There was sharp intelligence in those eyes. Rose addressed the girl. "Sam, wasn't it?"

Sam nodded. "Samantha Jones, but my friends call me Sam."

The message was clear. Rose looked away from Sam, and gazed down at the disappearing TARDIS. "Sam, do you mind if I keep this?"

Sam shrugged unconcernedly. "Sure. Go ahead." Then, in an abrupt change of subject, "They say your boyfriend is crazy. Is it true?"

Rose resisted the urge to thunk her head against the nearest hard surface. _By god, Doctor, if you've messed up and accidentally taught your chemistry class how to create and harness the power of a black hole, I'll kill you myself._ But that was just how the Doctor was. Brilliant, fantastic, and utterly harebrained. Rose focused on Sam. "No, he's not crazy. Just a forgetful, overly enthusiastic genius. He's probably got the cure to cancer rattling around in his brain, if he could only remember to write it down."

Easier than explaining that he's not human, and considers stuff like faster than light travel and manipulating singularities to be children's play. Sam laughed and walked out, leaving Rose at her desk, wondering when the heck she could get out of there.

The Doctor paced in front of the whiteboard, waiting for his class to settle down and stop whispering. The Doctor had learned some things from his previous undercover stint as a teacher: teaching the children to create and harness the power of a miniature black hole was generally frowned upon.

The class finally settled, and the Doctor noted that a girl in the back had been quietly reading a political science book by a Stephen P. Chilton. Interesting. The Doctor smiled brightly at them. "Right, then! Today we'll be doing something called a flame test. Flame tests are typically done when labels fall off of containers of compounds that are unknown. They're accomplished by holding a small amount of the unknown compound over a flame, and noting which colour the flames turn. I'll demonstrate, then it's your turn."

The Doctor thought this couldn't possibly go wrong. He was mistaken. Three explosions later, the Doctor finally finished clearing up the flaming wreckage with the help of a girl named Sam. The Doctor glanced over at the cause of the explosion, a teenager named Basil. But oddly enough, Baz was staring into space, glassy-eyed. As were his three rather burly friends. The Doctor caught Sam's eye and nodded meaningfully at the four teenagers. "Are they normally like that?"

Sam shook her head, looking worried. "No, they're not. You'd almost think he was sampling the merchandise. But this is worse. Ever since he got ahold of those bloody necklaces."

The Doctor looked at her sharply, a nasty suspicion percolating in his brain. "What necklaces?"

Sam nodded toward Baz's neck. A shiny black arrowhead lay around Baz's neck on a thick piece of light brown twine. "He found them in the dirt in that Totters Lane junkyard. He gave one to each of his friends, and ever since they've been acting beyond strange."

The Doctor looked, and sure enough, the other three were wearing the exact same necklace. But there was something off about the necklaces. Something that made the Doctor's time senses scream. Well, only one thing for it. The Doctor approached Baz. "May I see your necklace?" The Doctor asked politely.

In an instant, Baz lost his glazed inattention, and broke into a terrifying snarl. "NO!" With inhuman speed, Basil leapt at the Doctor, already coming up with a switchblade.

Only later would the Doctor realise how close he came to permanently wearing out his eighth body. When Baz's arm came up to slash at his throat, the Doctor grabbed it, and held it. Baz struggled so hard that the Doctor realised that short of breaking the teenager's arms and legs, he was so pain impervious that nothing would work. Telepathy was the only option.

But how in Omega's name was he supposed to reach his temple? Even as the Doctor's strength was flagging, and the knife inching closer to his neck, Sam gave him another chance. She started yelling increasingly rude insults, and finally struck Basil on the back of the head with her textbook. Baz turned around and roared, spittle spraying from his mouth.

Apparently he was beyond words now. In that instant, the Doctor reached out, and touched the teenager's temple. They both froze, as a cataclysmic battle raged between them. The Doctor got the impression of a malevolent, hungry, yet somehow unintelligent presence pressing down on him, before he shook it off, and sent what was left of Baz to sleep.

Basil slumped to the ground, unconscious. The Doctor gradually became of the rest of his class staring at him fearfully. All but Sam, who had a dangerously thoughtful look on her face. A look that did not bode well. The Doctor waved a hand at them, and the students started edging out warily. At that moment, Rose burst in. "Doctor! Are you okay?"

The Doctor resisted the urge to introduce his face to the palm of his hand. But he smiled at Rose anyway. He appreciated her concern. "It's okay Rose, I'm fine."

Rose smiled back at him, but then her expression turned serious. "You need to see this. Now."

Rose reached into her back pocket, and unfolded a thick piece of sketching paper. Drawn on it in mid-materialisation, was unmistakably the TARDIS. With fascination, and a little excitement, the Doctor realised that things were more complicated than expected. "This is brilliant! Who drew this? What a potential paradox! If they've seen the TARDIS..."

Rose shook her head, smiling at his enthusiasm. "Normally you'd be less excited about a paradox. But yeah, a girl called Sam Jones drew it."

Someone cleared her throat pointedly. The Doctor and Rose looked up in surprise. The Doctor had completely forgotten about Sam. "If you wouldn't mind, Sam, please go run and fetch the school nurse?"

Sam's look of calm interest never wavered. "Sure, _Doctor_." Then she dashed from the room, grinning.

Rose leaned her head on the Doctor's shoulder as they headed towards the broom cupboard where they were storing the TARDIS. "We're lucky we didn't get fired today."

The Doctor hummed in agreement. "If anything else happens tomorrow before we figure out how to remove those artefacts, we may need a new cover."

Rose wondered where Sam went after getting the nurse. Hopefully not to the police. At last they arrived at the broom closet, and they stepped in. They paused to greet the TARDIS. Rose patted her peeling blue paint. "Hi, girl." She said fondly.

She could practically feel the life rolling off the TARDIS. The Doctor leaned his forehead against the door of the TARDIS, and stayed that way for a moment. The first time he'd done that, Rose asked about it, and the Doctor had said that he was telepathically communing with the TARDIS. The Doctor moved back from the TARDIS, and smiled at Rose. "Shall we?"

Rose accepted his proffered hand, and they entered the TARDIS. Only to stop in complete and utter shock. Sam Jones was sitting in Rose's favourite armchair, sipping tea and reading a book of poetry, a half eaten piece of pumpkin pie sitting next to her on the side table. Sam looked up. "Hello."


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor and Rose simply stood there, staring, while Sam set down her empty mug, and took another bite of her pie. The Doctor jerked his gaze up to the ceiling, and glared at it. Abruptly Rose could hear a heated argument. _Why in the name of Rassilon did you let her in?_ The Doctor's voice reverberated through Rose's head.

The TARDIS let out an indignant huff. _Because, my Thief, she was getting chased by a knife-wielding human. It was the only way her timeline did not end then and there. Besides, her timeline is nice. Not like yours, Wolf, mind you. But nice nonetheless._

That was when the Doctor seemed to realise that Rose was in on the conversation. Rose addressed the TARDIS. _What do we do with her now?_

The TARDIS sounded smug. _Let her stay_.

That was when Sam interrupted their conversation. "Sorry to break up the staring contest you're having with empty air, but I'd like answers, please."

The Doctor and Rose both whipped around, startled. The TARDIS's glowing blue presence withdrew from their minds with a fleeting sense of smugness. Rose shook her head dazedly. Then she focused on Sam. "Okay. What do ya want to know?"

Sam placed the book of poetry in her lap, and gestured around her with both arms. "Why is there a bigger-on-the-inside police box hiding in a closet? Is it alien? Are you guys aliens?"

Rose looked at the Doctor. He enjoyed answering questions like that more than she did. The Doctor graciously stepped up to the plate. "We're hunting for a potentially dangerous alien artefact. And yes, the TARDIS is alien. I'm a Time Lord. But Rose is human."

Sam tilted her head. "TARDIS?"

The Doctor grinned. "She's a sentient, telepathic timeship. Her name is an acronym. Stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. Now, what happened? The TARDIS doesn't normally let people in on a whim."

Sam shrugged nonchalantly, but there was remembered fear in her eyes. "I was headed to class when Baz jumped me. He didn't seem to be doing much thinking at all. He just wanted to kill me. So I ran, and when there wasn't anywhere to run, I hid. Only problem was, he found me. That was when I noticed the TARDIS. The doors flew open, and I ran inside. She even brought me food."

Rose made a sound of amusement. Rose wondered if the Doctor was responsible for picking up most of his traveling companions, or if the TARDIS did so for him. The Doctor looked mildly resigned, but then he perked up as an idea occurred to him. Uh oh, Rose thought. Hopefully nothing explodes this time. The Doctor made a beeline for the console, and started imputing coordinates. "I know of an excellent place for tea and coffee. It's been there since eighteen eighty three. Why, I once helped sort a-"

"Doctor." Both Rose and Sam said in unison. The time rotor started its movement, and the Doctor turned around to gaze at the two women in polite perplexity. Just as Rose was about to say something, two things happened simultaneously. The subtle motion of the TARDIS ceased, and a wallet appeared in Rose's hand with a quiet thump.

Curious, Rose opened it up. American currency, in $20 dollar denominations, lined the interior of the black leather wallet. There had to be at least five hundred dollars in there. Rose frowned at the Doctor. "You didn't take us to the States, by any chance?"

The Doctor looked mildly affronted. "I most certainly did not. It's a perfectly respectable coffeehouse in Orpington."

Sam chose that moment to poke her head back through the door. "There's no way it's Orpington out there."

Then Sam grinned. "In fact, it's Bothell, Washington state. Is there a photo booth? I'd like to send a postcard home." Then she disappeared back outside. The Doctor and Rose grinned excitedly at each other, and left the TARDIS.

The instant the Doctor left the TARDIS, he knew something was off. He froze, brain picking up on two telepathic signatures. Two strangely familiar telepathic signatures. One was a future version of himself, and the other one he'd have sworn was Rose, before he realised that the person in question was a Time Lady. Rose looked at him oddly. "Trouble?"

The Doctor laughed quietly. "You could say that. A future regeneration of myself, and his Time Lady companion."

Rose looked disturbed. "Won't that cause a paradox?"

The Doctor smiled, and started walking briskly towards the corner Starbucks, from which the telepathic signatures emanated. "Only if we're not careful. Let's go find Sam, shall we?"

They entered the Starbucks a couple minutes later, and the Doctor immediately zeroed in on a serene blonde woman and her cheerful raven-haired companion. Sam sat across from them, sipping some sort of pink beverage. With a shock, the Doctor realised that the blonde woman was his future self. He'd been perfectly happy in an outwardly male body, but he supposed that could change at the flip of a regeneration.

The second Time Lady was more of a mystery. When he met those whisky-coloured eyes, he could have sworn he saw Rose staring back at him. But he shook off the feeling. This could be hundreds or thousands of years in the future, and no matter how much he wanted it to be otherwise, Rose would be long dead, short of a miracle. The Doctor didn't believe in miracles, hadn't believed in them for centuries. His future self scowled at him. "You."

He glowered right back, but stopped, taken aback when she looked at Rose, and smiled warmly. "Hello, Rose, dearie. I hope that walking fashion disaster is taking care of you."

The Doctor was about to shoot back a snappy retort, when Rose blushed, and awkwardly extended a hand to shake. "He is. I presume you're the Doctor?"

The future Doctor smiled, and brushed a kiss across Rose's knuckles. "I am."

The Doctor noticed the wash of pheromones, and suddenly felt jealous of his future self. Rose's knees abruptly went wobbly, and she sat down in a chair. Both Doctors looked at her in mild concern. Then they turned their attention back to each other. "So what brings you here?" Said the auburn-haired Doctor peevishly.

The blonde Doctor snorted. "The TARDIS. If I remember correctly, she brought you here, too."

This was when the Doctor's companion decided to join the discussion. She smiled softly at the Doctor, and he instantly found himself placated. "I remember. We did end up getting hauled here by the TARDIS." Then she smiled at Rose. "Hi, Rose. I'm the Wolf, by the way."

Rose smiled distractedly at her. "Nice to meet you."

The Doctor privately wondered what the heck was going on with Rose. Then he wondered why everything felt so off. There was something vitally important he was missing. Time to get out of this bizarre situation before they caused a massive paradox.

The Doctor drew himself to his full height, wishing that he had a few more inches of height to his name, and said, "Sam, Rose, let's go before we accidentally create a world ending paradox." Rose pushed back her chair, rising out of it, as did Sam. Sam gave him a look that suggested none too gently that he better come up with an explanation soon.

But Rose was still acting distracted. As he took her hand, even as they left the coffee shop, the Doctor couldn't help but wonder how soon he'd feel the pain of losing her. Would it be old age or an energy weapon? A Dalek's death ray or a heart attack? Would it be enough to drive him to cross his own timeline to see her one last time?

He recognised the serene expression on his counterpart's face. It was a mask for any number of emotions. He'd worn it often, particularly in his last body. As he was unlocking the TARDIS, Rose looked over her shoulder, and waved. The Doctor looked up to see his other self and the Wolf getting into a car. He blinked. Apparently he repaired the chameleon circuit in the future.

The Doctor opened the doors, and wordlessly ushered Rose and Sam in. When the Doctor shut the door behind him, he found Sam back in the armchair, and Rose standing by the door, worrying her lip. She glanced at him, an odd look in her eyes. "Why would the other Doctor telepathically talk to me? It seems like kind of an odd thing to do."

The Doctor felt tempted to reach up his timestream and knock some sense into his other self. Then something occurred to him. "Rose, she only kissed your hand, correct? She wasn't holding your hand under the table or anything?"

Rose looked at him curiously. "No, she wasn't. Is it important?"

The Doctor smiled despite the oddity of the situation. "Rose Tyler, everything is important. But yes, in this case it is. You see, Time Lords are primarily touch telepaths. We need skin-to-skin contact unless we wish to exert a great deal of effort. My older self would be unable to hold a coherent conversation with the rest of us in order to have one with you. With one exception."

The Doctor paused, gesturing for dramatic effect. Rose looked intrigued and a little wary. "Which is?"

A sea of mixed emotions boiled inside the Doctor. "A marriage bond."

Rose blushed. She tucked a hair behind her ear in a behaviour that the Doctor had come to recognise as one of nervousness or embarrassment. "That would explain some things. Mostly what she felt."

The Doctor didn't have to ask what Rose meant by that. The same emotions had been growing in him every time a certain Rose Tyler was her kind, hilarious, sassy self. The kind of woman who saw a stranger dying in an alley, and stayed to comfort him. The kind of person who stood up to a Inner Council who doubtless hadn't been stood up to in centuries. That, and so much more, was who she was. The Doctor was certain he'd love her, if he didn't already.

Rose was looking at him with some emotion too great to put into words. Transfixed, they leaned towards each other. The Doctor's hand instinctively came up to brush over her cheekbone, and slid around to cup the back of her neck and draw her closer. Rose sighed, leaning into his touch. She smelled like pheromones, perfume, and a sweet, wild scent that was hers exclusively. At last their lips met with a pleasant zing. The Doctor's brain went nicely fuzzy. The kiss ended all too soon for his taste.

Rose pulled back, seeming somewhat lightheaded herself. She tipped her head meaningfully at Sam, who was carefully ignoring them in favour of the book of poetry. The Doctor made a face. It wasn't like him to forget people. "Right. Why don't you go talk to Sam, I'll fly the TARDIS to the next morning."

When they emerged from the broom closet into the locker-lined hallway, a mindless parade of students pranced past, all headed toward a common goal. Sam sighed. She had completely forgotten. "There's a school assembly this morning."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged suitably ominous looks. "That means, if anything's gonna happen…" Rose said quietly.

"It'll happen there. The most possible death and destruction, served up on a platter. Come on." The Doctor finished for her. Sam didn't miss the way their hands intertwined.

Together, the three of them melted into the river of students. When they slipped into the back of the assembly, _Love Don't Roam_ was blaring for some reason known only to god and his chosen few. Sam noticed the Doctor eyeing the pricey new sound system with predatory cheerfulness. Apparently Rose did, too, because she made a sound of loving exasperation. "Later, Doctor."

Just then, things began to go horribly wrong. As Sam's eyes slid over the crowd, her gaze locked with Baz's, and he let out a bellow of inhuman rage. "You've been grassing me up, Samantha Jones!"

As if triggered by his rage, thin greenish mist began to pour out of the arrowhead around his neck. The mist was filling up the room at an alarming rate. Wherever it touched, polite conversation turned into violent physical altercations.

A student lunged at Rose, and the Doctor knocked him down easily. That got the attention of the rest of the mob. As the Doctor tried in vain to fight off what seemed like the entire student body of Coal Hill School, Sam shouted, "What do we do now?"

The Doctor made a complicated circular motion, causing a girl who Sam only vaguely recognised to do a midair somersault. "We need to get to the sound system. If I can just modify it, then I may be able to knock them out."

Sam made an impatient sound, and surged forward. "Let's go!"

They slowly battled their way to the sound system, sometimes by inches, other times by tens of feet. At last they struggled their way up onto the stage. The mob stared at them, puzzled… and surged toward the stage. Fast as they were, the Doctor was faster.

Almost instantly, a silver cylinder was in his hand, and he jammed it into the socket of the sound system. The effect was immediate and dramatic. Waves of weaponised pop music blasted out into the crowd. Sam wasn't directly in its path, but it still hit her like a blow, and shook her like a rag doll, getting into her very bones.

Intellectually, she had known that sound was something that could be something that could knock out an entire crowd, but finding that out firsthand was an entirely different beast.

At last the deafening waves of sound died away to normal levels, and Sam gazed out over the unconscious crowd. Until the silver cylinder shot sparks, and emitted a loud bang. The Doctor pulled it from the socket, and stared at it mournfully. "My sonic screwdriver. Such an ignominious end."

Rose patted his arm. "Doctor, I think we have bigger problems. Like what'll happen if we don't get rid of those artefacts before they wake up."

The Doctor nodded in a businesslike manner, and gracefully hopped off the stage. Rose and Sam followed. They picked their way towards Baz and his cronies. A few moments later, the Doctor had collected all four arrowheads.

And that was how they ended up on the event horizon of a black hole. They watched as the arrowheads slowly floated away, washed in the light of dying stars, and planets rent asunder.

Nothing lasts forever, Rose thought. If planets and stars die, can I be faulted for doing so? It was a thought both gloomy and comforting. Then the Doctor smiled at her, and it made her heart flutter like it always did. There was something new between them, and whatever the future might bring, they would face it together.


	5. Chapter 5: Interlude I

Sam trailed after the Doctor as he and Rose made for the console. Rose leaned up against one of the bell-shaped iron struts, and watched the Doctor as he idly dragged his fingertips across the console. Then he frowned at the readout. "The vortex? No, no, no."

He started entering in coordinates, talking as he went. "Shoreditch, July 21st 1997."

Sam's eyes widened with disbelief and dismay. She skidded to a halt beside the Doctor, lightly resting her hand on his wrist, in plea or in an effort to stop him from sending her home, she didn't know. The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. In a rush, Sam started talking, trying to get the right words out at the right time. "Don't send me home! Let me stay for just a few trips. Please."

The Doctor's face was perfectly serene, like she'd seen him look when dealing with something that required an absolute lack of emotion. "Why should I, Samantha Jones? This life isn't pretty, it isn't pleasant, it's standing up and making a choice, even when no one else dares to do so."

He studied her face, and continued. "Times like today are akin to walking on a tightrope. It's exhilarating, until you fall. Make a single mistake, and dozens or hundreds of people will die. It happens, Sam. And when it does, you're left knowing that couldn't save them."

A glimpse of pain flitted through his eyes so fast that Sam wondered if she'd imagined it. Who did you lose, I wonder? Sam thought. Rose must've noticed something too, because she came over and leaned against the Doctor. Another, slightly sappier emotion crossed the Doctor's face, and he wrapped an arm around Rose.

Sam figured she might as well take all the chances she could get. "But think of all the people I could help. With Greenpeace rallies and social activism, I can only do so much as an individual. It's a numbers game. But here-"

She gestured around her at the TARDIS. "Here I can make a difference. Would you give me that much?"

The Doctor appeared to be wavering. Sam decided to bring out the big guns. "I saved your skin. If I hadn't distracted Baz Bailey, you'd be on your next life by now."

That seemed to break the last of the Doctor's resistance, as well as his icy composure. He gave her a small smile, and started punching in coordinates. "Welcome aboard, Sam Jones!"

The time rotor began to rise and fall with a steady rhythm, its blue light calming. Sam noted with some incredulity that the Doctor glanced at the readout on the scanner, and crossed his fingers. Rose's fondly exasperated smile was, to Sam's mind, evidence that it had happened before. At last the readout read 'Time Vortex'.

The Doctor's smile brightened, and he glanced at Sam and Rose. "I fancy a cup of tea. Care to accompany me to the galley?"

Rose took his hand, and grinned at him. "Sure."

Sam nodded, still thinking about the fact that this place did have a kitchen. The food had to come from somewhere. Or did it? They headed down a white hallway lined with what seemed an endless amount of eclectic doors, including a large set of gothic-looking black doors that seemed very out of place. Sam trailed her fingers over the walls, feeling the alternation between polished wood and cool, white metal.

Rose briefly dropped the Doctor's hand to open a sixties style chrome door. She ushered them both in. Sam gazed around her with interest. A big, clunky silver fridge accompanied a matching range of appliances. Blue-and-white vinyl chairs sat around a matching table on a checkerboard floor. As Sam watched, a plate of shepherd's pie shimmered into view on the table, accompanied by a hot pink mug of tea. The mug bore the words 'Bad Wolf'.

Sam frowned at that. Why would a mug say Bad Wolf? The Doctor and Rose sat down next to each other, and belatedly Sam sat down on Rose's other side. A plate of chips appeared in front of her, along with a mug of hot cocoa. The Doctor and Rose were already tucking into their food.

Sam took an appreciative sip of her hot cocoa, then paused as something occurred to her. "Does the TARDIS do everything for you?"

The Doctor swallowed a bite of his steak, and shrugged slightly. "Not everything. We cook most nights, but yes, she does the laundry, and picks up your rooms."

They were mostly silent for a few minutes as they finished eating. The Doctor pushed back his chair, getting to his feet with an enthusiastic grin. "Right then, who wants to tour the TARDIS?"


	6. Chapter 6

Rose woke from a vivid, disturbing dream. Rose shivered and sat up, trying to remember. She had been on Gallifrey, but not the Gallifrey she remembered. And she'd been so unhappy… Rose shook her head and slid out of bed. Had she been wearing those prissy Time Lord robes?

Rose smiled ruefully. That was enough to categorize it as a nightmare. Rose took one look around her room, taking in the cherrywood furniture and pink linens. Then she headed for the attached bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Rose was dressed, and had applied her makeup and grabbed a quick breakfast. Now she padded towards the console room.

When she entered the console room, she blinked. In the place of the two subtly green armchairs that had been there last night, there was a rather hideous purple paisley sofa. The Doctor sprawled across it, a book stuck to his face. Rose shook her head, smiling. Falling asleep while reading seemed to be a habit of the Doctor's.

Rose crossed the console room, pausing to pat the console affectionately. Then she paused by the Doctor, wondering if she should wake him up. As far as Rose knew, the Doctor didn't sleep much. The Doctor made a tiny sound that might have been pain or discomfort, and he shifted, curling into himself.

Oh. He was having a nightmare. That made up Rose's mind. She picked up the book, glancing briefly at the title, and set it aside. Then she gently shook the Doctor's shoulder. "Doctor."

He stirred, then his blue eyes snapped open. For the briefest moment, they were foggy with a dream, then his gaze cleared, and the Doctor smiled at Rose. "Good morning, Rose."

He abruptly swung his legs over the side of the couch, and patted the spot next to him. Rose certainly wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that. She sat down, snuggling into his side. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her. Rose leaned her head on his shoulder, and suddenly her curiosity got the best of her. "Doctor, what were you dreaming about? Somehow, it didn't sound pleasant."

Rose tipped her head back to see the Doctor's expression. His lips quirked up in a wry smile. "No, it wasn't. I was dreaming about my childhood on Gallifrey." He changed the subject abruptly. "Where's Sam? I'd have rather thought she'd be up by now."

Rose shrugged. "Still in her room."

Rose felt the Doctor shrug slightly, and he shifted his gaze to the TARDIS console. "When Sam wakes up, I was thinking of going to Midnight, or perhaps Raxacoricofallapatorius. You'd like Midnight. It's a resort planet littered with diamond-like crystals, and the sunlight is extonic. The star Midnight orbits is called an exotic star. It's made out of quarks, rather than-"

A loud electronic beeping cut the Doctor off. He gently removed his arm from around her waist, and leapt to his feet, making for the console at a fast clip. Rose shook her head, smiling. By now it was probably useless to prompt the Doctor to continue his explanation.

Instead, Rose stood up, and went to gaze over his shoulder at the boxy monitor. Small white text scrolled across it, too fast for her to read. The Doctor however, seemed to have no trouble keeping track of it. "What's wrong?"

The Doctor suddenly seemed very old and tired. "The Earth's history is in peril of being irreparably damaged by some old friends of mine."

Rose assumed by this he meant Master-esque frenemies. She shuddered to think of facing someone like the Master again. "Who are they? I sincerely hope that they aren't like the Master."

The Doctor shrugged absentmindedly, and turned one of the knobs on the scanner. The flow of information redoubled. "Depends upon what you meant by 'like'. The Nestenes are enemies of of mine. They've attempted to annex Earth several times. I've foiled them each time. Sometimes I-"

The Doctor broke off, and froze the screen, staring in disbelief at a single sentence of white block letters. "What do you mean, information redacted? I get that their planet was destroyed, but why censor who did it?" The Doctor thumped the console in frustration, and promptly yelped as the TARDIS zapped him.

Rose took the Doctor's arm, and gently led him away a few paces. "Doctor, let's get you away from there before the TARDIS dumps you in the fishpond. She must be pretty peeved with you."

That wrung a laugh out of him. "Quite so. She's currently swearing at me."

The Doctor pinched his nose thoughtfully. "Rose, would you mind waking Sam up? I'll start piloting us out of the vortex." One of the Doctor's feet kicked ever so slightly. Rose's eyes narrowed. He was up to something, she wasn't sure what. But Rose wasn't about to call him on it. Not right now. Rose touched his hand, then turned and left.

The Doctor watched her go, feeling a pang of something unidentifiable. Secretly, the Doctor was glad she hadn't brought up the kiss. He wondered how his future self had let go of that overwhelming fear of losing her long enough to love her. The Doctor turned to the scanner, and started reading.

A few minutes later, his fears had been confirmed. From what he could tell from reading between the redacted data warnings, their past and future were heavily woven into this whole mess. The Doctor didn't know what it meant, only that it wasn't good.

Sam perched on the edge of her unmade bed, leafing through one of her textbooks. It was really rather uncanny; the TARDIS had made a perfect copy of her room back home, minus the clutter. Someone knocked on the door. Sam glanced up, setting the book aside. "Come in."

The door swung open, and Rose appeared in the doorway. Today, Rose's hair was in artfully messy pigtails, and she was wearing a denim jacket, jeans, and a Union Jack t-shirt. Sam tilted her head, considering Rose. Normally Rose and the Doctor grinned so much they appeared addled, but not today. Rose's hands were in her pockets, and her eyes were slightly wide. Rose flopped down on the bed next to Sam. Sam glanced at her with some worry. "So, what's the news?"

Rose smiled slightly. "The Earth is in danger of being invaded."

Sam sighed, shaking her head. "Again? I swear it's a bi-weekly occurrence for you two."

A laugh seemingly pulled its way out of Rose's chest, and Rose sprawled flat on the bed with a thump. "You could say that. I don't know though, Sam. It's like there's a storm coming. An' we're gonna be smack dab in the middle."

A chill stole over Sam. She bit her lip. Rose's tone had been haunted enough to spark real worry. "What makes you think that?"

Instantly, Rose said two words. "Bad Wolf."

Sam nodded warily. "The words on your teacup."

Rose abruptly rose, and started pacing. "Not just the mug. We've seen the words on seven different worlds in two weeks. Every time they crop up, chaos and destruction and violence. Like omens. But of what?"

Then abruptly she forced a grin. "That mug was lucky to have survived the trip back to the TARDIS, what with the angry mob on our heels."

Sam shook her head, smiling. She got the impression that traveling with Rose and the Doctor would never be dull. Rose rocked back on her heels, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. Then she looked at Sam, and nodded towards the door. "She says we're here. Wherever and whenever on earth here is." Sam picked up her leather band jacket, and slipped it on. "Let's go."

Mickey shook his head violently, wearing a lemon-sucking grimace. How come she'd sleep with that git Jimmy Stone but not him? He was a nice guy. A loud groan echoed through the deserted car park, and Mickey's head whipped around. But there was nothing there, just a grubby grey dustbin. Mickey glared at it venomously. Continuing to glare viciously, Mickey crossed his arms across his chest. The dustbin inched closer to him.

Mickey took a step back, a chill of apprehension crawling rapidly up his spine. Then he shook himself free of the misgivings. It was just the wind. Or maybe someone had motorised it. Taking two fast steps forward, Mickey ripped up the lid of the dustbin. There was nothing inside. Mickey turned to leave, only to find himself stuck. He fought the lid of the dustbin with all he had, but in the end it wasn't enough. Mickey fell into the bin, and tumbled into darkness. When he stopped falling, he was somewhere else.

The Doctor watched as Rose shook her head, a look of wide-eyed incredulity replacing her grin. "March 22nd, 2005. The day Henrik's blew up."

She glanced pointedly at the charges sitting on the end table, one of which Sam was examining with rapt fascination. "And apparently we're the ones blowing it up. Good thing I was sick that day."

Interesting, the Doctor thought. And useful, too. "That's certainly a good thing. Otherwise it might be a tad tricky, dealing with your past self."

Sam put down the charge, and wandered over, hands in her pockets. "What's the plan?"

The Doctor adjusted the cuffs on his frock coat. "We sweep to ensure that no one is left in the building, then we lay and detonate the charges."

Though the Doctor could guess that no one was left alive in the building. He could feel the discordant buzz of a fixed point under his skin, and the potent ripples of the most powerful kind of loss: an ordinary life cut short. He guessed that they were one and the same. Here, something obscured his time senses, much like his inability to see his own timeline.

Sam nodded, grinning. "Sounds simple enough."

Rose grinned wryly back at her. "When is it ever that simple?"

The Doctor stuck his nose in the air haughtily, but inwardly he grinned. "I object to that statement." Humming a soft tune, the Doctor gathered up the charges and detonator.

They ran pell-mell down the hall, a flood of animated shop dummies pouring after them. They'd laid the charges, and promptly been met with a giant bunch of dummies hell-bent on killing them. Fortunately, the dummies hadn't been smart enough to actually think of pulling up the charges.

Unfortunately, they'd been plenty smart enough to decide to kill the interlopers. "Necessary items to defeat murderous Nestenes: sonic screwdriver, sixty seventh century smart explosives. Only we don't _have_ a sonic screwdriver, not after your last one got toasted!" Rose snarked, voice pitching up with the slightest touch of hysteria.

The Doctor grinned at her. "I'll put it on the list."

The three of them skidded to a messy halt in front of the industrial lift, and Sam jabbed the button. Both Rose and Sam hovered in mild agitation as the dummies advanced. The Doctor, for once, was perfectly calm. Just as the dummies were closing in, the lift doors slid open with a ding.

The three of them dove into the lift, the Doctor barely spinning around in time to avoid a plastic arm swinging down at his head at incredible speed. He grabbed ahold of the arm, starting a tug-of-war that seemed effortless, but was not. Especially judging by the way the dummy's struggles dented the metal of the door.

Rose picked up a foot, unsure of what to do, but desperately needing to do something. Sam's hand twitched, and she leaned forward. Before either of them could do anything potentially rash, the dummy's arm came loose with a loud pop, and the doors crashed shut. The lift groaned, but steadily began to rise. After a few moments, the doors slid open again, revealing a drab grey service corridor littered with packing boxes.

The Doctor tossed Sam the plastic arm, and ushered the two of them out of the lift. He pulled the detonator from his pocket, and waved it meaningfully. The Doctor smiled at them. "Right then, I'll only be a moment. Sam, Rose, why don't you go back to the TARDIS, and look for the antiplastic?"

Sam hefted the arm, and they walked away, passing through the double doors. They crossed the street, and was almost to the TARDIS when they noticed the figure leaning up against the doors. It was Mickey. Almost immediately, alarm bells started going off in Rose's head. His posture was a little too aggressive, the glint in his eyes a little too bloody-minded. As they approached, Mickey unfolded himself from the side of the TARDIS.

Rose watched him warily. She'd been traveling with the Doctor too long not to be wary of coincidences like this. "Hey, Micks, what're you doing here?"

Mickey smiled sweetly at her. "Waiting for you, Rosie. Goodbye."

As he lazily raised his hand, it turned into a block of solid plastic. Sam grabbed Rose's hand, and spun them around. "Run!"


	7. Chapter 7

Sam and Rose bolted back the way they'd come. Sam had the absurd thought that she was about to get beaten to death by a plastic replica of one of Rose's friends. Sam heard the heavy footsteps of the fake Mickey, and abruptly re-evaluated the thought to be very plausible.

Sam and Rose were both fast runners, but they couldn't keep this up forever. They crossed the street, all but leaping the bonnet of an oncoming car. Mickey crashed into the side of it. Glass shattered, and the car alarm wailed its strident song. They all but ran into the Doctor, who was emerging from Henrik's. "I highly recommend we get out of here, Henrik's is about to-"

Then he simultaneously caught sight of their expressions, and a ticked-off fake Mickey emerging from his face-plant in the side of the stalled car. The Doctor's eyes went very wide. "It seems that trouble may have found us."

His words were punctuated by fake Mickey launching himself bodily at the Doctor. Then he addressed fake Mickey. "I know you would like to conquer this planet, but perhaps we could- oof!"

The oof was prompted by the plastic facsimile's hand thudding into the Doctor's ribs with a crunch. Sam winced, and Rose took an involuntary step forward. A look of pain and wounded dignity overtook the Doctor's features. When the facsimile came back for round two, the Doctor seemed to be absolved of his suicidal desire to talk things out.

He dodged the first strike the copy made, and planted one foot in the copy's chest, wrapped his arms around its neck in a death grip. Surely he wasn't going to- He was. The Doctor pulled one way, the facsimile the other, and with a wrenching pop, the copy's head parted company with its shoulders. The Doctor was left reeling back with the head in his grasp.

For a moment, the Doctor just stood there, acting as if every breath pained him. Then the headless thing lurched into the street, smashing its way towards the TARDIS. The Doctor suddenly bolted for the TARDIS. "Time to go!"

Rose and Sam exchanged looks, and ran after him. They arrived at the TARDIS, carefully dodging the headless plastic copy. Just as the Doctor was unlocking the TARDIS, Henrik's blew in a spectacular gout of orange flame and black smoke.

The decapitated facsimile looked up as much as it could, and abruptly bolted, disappearing rapidly around a corner. For a second, it was as if the world was put on pause, and then unholy chaos erupted. The few people out at that hour screamed and fled, and several cars did abrupt U-turns before veering away, honking angrily.

The Doctor pushed open the doors, and strode briskly inside, Rose and Sam trailing after him. The Doctor immediately began to wire the plastic head into the console. Sam stepped up next to the Doctor, a worry gnawing at her. "Are we really going to leave that thing running around the middle of inner London?"

The Doctor looked mildly offended. "Of course not! It'll melt soon, anyway. And meanwhile, it'll be too busy trying to get back to it's masters."

Rose stood off to one side, looking about ready to cry. "Doctor, is Mickey still alive?"

Sam was mildly alarmed. She'd never seen her friend look like this. The Doctor reached over and hugged Rose tightly. "Don't worry, Rose. Mickey will be alive. Likely terrified out of his wits, but alive."

Sam scowled lightly at the Doctor. "Nice bedside manner there, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned at Sam over Rose's shoulder, eyes sparkling with mirth. The Doctor released Rose, and started setting coordinates. Rose smiled at the Doctor's back. The Doctor stepped back, even as the time rotor began to rise and fall with a steady hum. The Doctor glanced over at Sam and Rose. "I'll be back in a moment, I need to set my ribs. Rose, why don't you and Sam go look for the antiplastic?"

Sam narrowed her eyes at him in mild suspicion. "If your ribs are broken, then how come you aren't wincing anymore?"

A corner of the Doctor's lips quirked up. "Because I deadened the pain receptors. It's a common Time Lord trick. Simple enough if you know how."

Sam blew out a breath. Simple enough for him, maybe. "Okay. Come on, Rose. Let's go look for the antiplastic."

Rose rummaged around in the enormous bin labelled 'A'. After what seemed like five minutes, she came up with two things: a little blue vial labelled 'antiplastic', and a burning desire to ask the Doctor why the heck he'd acquired a stuffed toy aardvark. Sam leaned against a nearby piece of organic-looking coral, laughing helplessly as Rose unearthed and held up some of her more unusual findings. Rose stood up, slipping the antiplastic into her pocket. "Come on. Let's go defeat murderous plastic critters."

Sam trotted over to her, and they started walking. They walked in silence for a few moments, then Sam spoke up. "How come you acted like you recognised that the Doctor had broken ribs?"

Rose shrugged, trying to fake nonchalance. Several unpleasant memories welled to the surface, and Rose hugged herself tightly. Sam watched her carefully out of the corner of her eye. "That bad, huh?"

Rose let out a broken laugh. "That sums it up. My ex was a waste of oxygen, let's put it that way. You?"

Sam's jaw was clenched, but she spoke anyway. "I saw one of the unfortunate souls Baz Bailey roughed up for grassing him up."

Rose shivered slightly. That couldn't be fun. They walked in companionable silence until they reached the console room. The Doctor was sitting on the sofa, waiting for them. When he saw Rose, he got to his feet, stretching. "Have you got the antiplastic?"

When they both nodded, the Doctor held out his hand. "Excellent." Rose dropped the vial in the palm of his hand, and the Doctor swiftly pocketed it.

Rose shot him a mildly reproving look. "Mind letting us in on what you're planning?"

The Doctor's eyes lit up, and he instantly went into enthusiastic lecture mode. "Antiplastic destabilises and breaks down most forms of exopolymers, much like certain forms of acid will do to carbon-based lifeforms. It-"

Rose interrupted gently. "But what are you planning to do with it?"

You could have heard a penny drop. The Doctor was still smiling, but his eyes were abruptly very old and sorrowful. "If I have to, I'll use it on the central Nestene consciousness. But I hope to be able to resolve this peacefully."

Abruptly it was as if a switch flipped. The phantoms were gone from behind the Doctor's eyes, and he was all smiles again as he darted for the door. "Help me bring this to its final conclusion!"

Sam and Rose exchanged grins, and ran after him. They emerged directly under the London Eye, right next to an open manhole emitting an eerie orange glow and plenty of choking black smoke. The Doctor was leaning precariously over the edge, clearly fascinated. Sam and Rose wandered over. A gust of wind blew a gout of smoke directly in the two women's faces, making them cough. "Very cliche." Rose said.

Sam made a noise of agreement. Or maybe it was a stifled cough. Rose wasn't sure. The Doctor gave her an odd look. "Cliches are generally cliche for a reason."

Sam stared at him, wide-eyed. "Come off of it."

The Doctor gave her a look that suggested he wasn't joking in the slightest. Rose figured she might as well confront the inevitable, and started to climb down the exposed metal ladder. Before she was even halfway down, the Doctor predictably offered her a hand down. She accepted it, and lightly dropped the rest of the way down.

Sam followed, then the Doctor. They were in a metal-walled corridor with a door at one end. Somehow, the whole scene projected a stifling need for silence. They headed towards the door, the Doctor taking the lead. He pushed it open, and the three of them emerged into a - well, cavern was really the best way to describe it.

Massive, four-walled, it was made out of rough hewn concrete and was crisscrossed with innumerable catwalks. Where the catwalks joined in the centre, there was a massive central platform overlooking a roiling pit of something plasticky and alive. Abruptly a hint of movement caught Rose's eye. Mickey crouched in one corner, his arm bent the wrong way. In an instant, Rose was trotting down the steps, ignoring the Doctor and Sam trailing after her. Mickey might have been an ass who had tried to sleep with her at several points, but he was also her childhood best friend. And he didn't deserve to hurt. She crouched down by Mickey. "Are you alright, Mickey?"

Mickey was shaking and sweating. "That thing in the vat. It talks!"

The Doctor appeared next to Rose. "Of course it does! Would be a mite hard to negotiate with it, otherwise." He looked at Rose, and his gaze softened. "I'll be right back. Hopefully this will go well, and we can get out of here."

Rose smiled at him. "Best of luck."

The corner of the Doctor's lip quirked up, in what might have been amusement. "Hopefully I won't need it."

The Doctor turned and left. Rose watched him go, enjoying the view. Sam moved over to stand next to her. Together, they watched as the Doctor stood in front of the vat. When he raised his head, his eyes blazed with open sincerity. He leaned forward, palms facing up. "I have come to negotiate on the behalf of this planet. Might I approach?"

The Nestene Consciousness gurgled low, and the Doctor bobbed his head, as if accepting a great honour. "Thank you."

He moved forward, to lean on the railing with one hip. Neither Rose nor Sam noticed the shop dummies swarming in the shadows. The Doctor blithely continued. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? This is a level five planet. The amount of damage you'll be doing to the Web of Time is considerable."

Such sincerity rang in his question that Rose was almost surprised that it didn't pack up its metaphorical bags and leave. Sadly, it didn't. The Doctor continued speaking, completely unaware of the pair of dummies sneaking up behind him. "Kindly use your shunt technology to leave one more time-"

"DOCTOR!" The force of the shout scraped two throats raw. The Doctor whirled around in time to send one dummy staggering away, seemingly in its death throes. But one more quickly replaced it. Soon the Doctor's arms were pinned, and the second dummy was quickly and efficiently riffling through his pockets. Rose's stomach lurched sickeningly.

Then, predictably, things went from bad to worse. With a triumphant look on its blank face, the dummy searching the Doctor came up with the little vial of antiplastic. The Nestene Consciousness let out a dangerous hiss, and raised itself up menacingly. The Doctor looked properly panicked. "I wasn't going to use it! I swear on Rassilon's tomb. Wait- what Time War? There hasn't been more than a Time skirmish in two million years. And I don't know what you're talking about! It's utter balderdash. Her name is Rose Tyler, not Bad Wolf. Wait a second - the Daleks? But no one has seen them off of Skaro in years."

Rose whipped around nervously as two massive doors slipped open at the back of the platform, revealing the TARDIS. Rose didn't know how exactly she had gotten there, but judging by the Nestene Consciousness's reaction, it was nothing good. It reared up, letting out a roar that threatened give every lifeform in the room permanent hearing damage. The Doctor struggled fruitlessly in the grip of his assailants, but it was no use. "Yes, I'm the Doctor."

The Nestene Consciousness screamed. Blue energy encased it, then struck up through the ceiling in blue waves. Instantly, the room began to shake. Huge chunks of the ceiling began to plummet, taking innumerable catwalks with them. Rose wrapped her arms around herself, trembling. "What's it doing?"

The Doctor struggled harder, anguish in his eyes. "It's starting the invasion! I don't know why, but it's terrified of us! Go, Rose." He shouted. "Take Sam, and Mickey, and go back to the TARDIS!"

Rose turned to Sam and Mickey, the latter of whom was clinging onto the legs of the former. Sam's eyes were surprisingly calm and trusting as she surveyed Rose. "You're going to try to save him, aren't you?"

A sudden wave of resolve washed over her. Rose stood up straight. "Yeah, I am. Now please go back to the TARDIS."

They both knew that this might well be goodbye. Sam shook off Mickey, and wrapped Rose in a tight hug. "See you soon."

Rose smiled at her. Then Sam was leading Mickey away. Feeling a pang, Rose turned away, scanning the walls for anything that could help her. She was all too aware that if she didn't find something, and soon, they'd all be dead. Rose's phone rang. Feeling slightly guilty, she ignored it. There! An axe and some chains were affixed to the wall. A slightly suicidal, completely madcap plan formed in her mind. Unfortunately, it was the only plan she had. Rose dashed up the stairs, and whipped the axe off the wall. "No job."

She brought the axe down on the piece of wood holding the chains of the wall. "No A-levels."

Splinters rained down, and Rose brought back down the axe for round two. "But the one thing I do have? A future. And after all the things I've seen, all the things I've done, I'll be damned if I let that evaporate, along with five billion lives."

The chains came loose, and Rose dropped the axe, carefully wrapping the chains around her forearm, just like she'd been taught in her classes. Rose swung, knocking the dummy with the antiplastic straight into the pit. By the time she swung back around, the Doctor had already dealt with the second dummy. It dragged itself away, even as the Doctor caught Rose.

He plucked her effortlessly off the chain, and spun her around twice. Rose's head was spinning with exhilaration, relief, and quiet happiness. The Doctor wrapped her up in a tight hug. "You were brilliant!" Then he kissed her.

Hand in hand with Rose, they headed back to the TARDIS. The Doctor privately wondered what in the name of Omega had possessed him to kiss her. His vaunted Time Lord celibacy was not all it should be around Rose. He threw open the doors of the TARDIS, and pushed down a small smouldering of anger at the sight he beheld. Mickey was looming over a grimly determined Sam, shaking his good fist at her. Sam looked about ready to sock him in the jaw. The Doctor was tempted to let her, but Rose stepped in, her normally soft voice cracking like a whip. "Mickey, leave Sam alone."

Confident that Rose could handle the irritating human, the Doctor shut the doors, and loped over to the console, focusing on setting the coordinates for Royal Hope Hospital. "But Rose," Mickey protested. "She wasn't telling me why you're on a spaceship when you were sick earlier, or who he is."

The Doctor finished imputing the coordinates with a flourish, and the time rotor began to rise and fall. The Doctor wandered over, and stuck out a hand for Mickey to shake. Mickey eyed the proffered hand with thinly veiled distaste, and didn't shake. The Doctor pressed his lips together, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well, Mickey, I'm the Doctor, a Time Lord of Gallifrey. The reason Rose is on a spaceship, is because she's from your future. Oh, and Mickey, try not to harass the Rose from your present too much, eh? She's the reason you still have a planet come October."

The Doctor made the motions of glancing at the time rotor, which had ceased moving. He glanced back at Mickey, who was staring at him open mouthed. Sam and Rose were mostly unsuccessfully attempting to cover up their snickers. "Time to go. The hospital is right outside."

He ushered a still-stunned Mickey out the door. Shutting the doors, the Doctor turned to Sam and Rose with a big grin. "Where to next?"


	8. Chapter 8

On the way to the media room, Rose's phone rang again. Pulling it out of her pocket, Rose noticed Sam eyeing the pink flip phone oddly. Rose glanced at the name displayed on the caller ID. Mum. Crap. Shooting the Doctor and Sam an apologetic glance, Rose picked up. "Hi, mum. What's up?"

In an instant, Jackie's hysterical tones shrieked through the speaker. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw the Doctor wince. "Oh my god! There were these… things! Shop dummies, walking around and shooting people!"

Rose carefully reminded herself that her mother was fine. "Mum, it's okay. It's over and dealt with."

Jackie's voice went from hysteria to white-hot suspicion in an instant. "WHAT?"

Rose spent the next twenty minutes sitting on the couch in the media room, carefully soothing Jackie. At last she hung up and pocketed the phone. The Doctor shot the TARDIS a lazy glare. "Directing calls into the past, are we now? Naughty, naughty."

The Doctor paused a moment, and Rose got the sense that she was listening to half a conversation. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "It's not nice to prank Rose."

The TARDIS hummed, deliberately projecting an aura of mysteriousness and satisfaction. The Doctor shook his head, but then he brightened. "Out of all the television shows in all of time and space, in every universe, what would you like to watch?"

To Rose's surprise, Sam grabbed the remote out of the Doctor's hands. And grinned at him. "I think I'll take it from here." They ended up watching an odd little show called Doctor Who from a bizarre universe where aliens tended to stay out of sight. It seemed like a weird parody of their life, with Rose looking and acting much the same, Sam nowhere to be found, and the Doctor a jumper-wearing, sarcastic doofus.

Which, Rose reflected, wasn't too far from reality. Minus the short hair and jumpers. Rose had once asked the Doctor if he ever intended on cutting his hair, not long after he regenerated. The look he had given her was comical in its sheer horror. Rose snuggled closer to the Doctor, and gazed at the screen, where fake Rose was running from a large green alien called a Slitheen. Rose had to admit that it was slightly disturbing to watch this warped version of reality.

Not long after, the credits rolled, and the Doctor leaned across Rose to take the remote from Sam. He flipped it back to the synopsis screen, and rested his chin on his free hand thoughtfully. "Ninth body, they say?"

Then more quietly, he continued in a seeming non sequitur. "I certainly hope this is fiction. I wonder what could be powerful enough to destroy the Time Lords? I sincerely hope never to find out."

Twelve hours later

They rounded a corner, lungs working hard, feet pounding the cobblestones. Sam wasn't sure how, but the Doctor was the only one who wasn't showing undue signs of strain, despite their brisk mile long run.

Behind them, the first of the mob rounded the corner, screaming obscenities and chucking rotten fruit. Better than rocks, Sam thought wryly. They arrived at the alcove in which the TARDIS was situated, and the Doctor began unlocking the door with quick, efficient movements. The three of them slipped into the TARDIS right as the mob started bouncing off the doors like so many enraged bowling balls.

The Doctor grinned at them, and dance-stepped up to the console. Apparently someone had enjoyed their mad dash through the streets of 89th century Pluto. He paused, dramatically poised over the console. "Where to next? A resort planet, perhaps? I think we might have better luck on Midnight."

Sam snorted. "Doctor, that was a resort planet. At that point in time, anyway."

The Doctor waved a hand dismissively, and started setting coordinates. "It shouldn't be an issue."

The time rotor lurched into sickly motion, and the Doctor frowned at the readout. "What's wrong, old girl? Why are you- oh! Time disturbance, eh?"

As if in answer, the TARDIS lurched violently, throwing them all off their feet. She continued to buck and lurch, throwing them around like beads in a rattle. Slowly, majestically, the console room started to do a three hundred sixty degree revolution.

Three sets of eyes went wide with shock. "It seems she's about to crash! Hold on to something!" They crashed.

Jackie hummed a soft tune while making tea. Her favourite soap opera was currently on the commercials. As always, she was worried about Rose, but that had drifted to the back of her mind for once. A strong wind ruffled the curtains, and a wheezing groan split the relative silence, drowning out the blaring of the telly, and the bleating of car horns on the motorway outside. Jackie's head whipped around, and she stared, goggle eyed.

A ghostly police box phased through the back wall of her cramped living room, before solidifying in mid air and dropping six inches to the ground with a thump. Screams and mildly hysterical laughter could be heard from inside.

Jackie inched forward, mouth hanging open with shock. Gradually the screams petered out, but the laughter stayed, accompanied now by muffled conversation. Jackie stood there, her shock and awe gradually being replaced by simmering anger. Making a split second decision, she strode forward, throwing open the police box's doors.

She paused three steps inside, blinking at the sudden decrease in light. Then as Jackie adjusted, her mouth fell open in sudden shock and horror. In one corner, a library type area dominated, populated by a truly horrible sofa and a couple of end tables. Elsewhere, the enormous space was littered with clocks, racks of candles, and even a fishpond. But in the centre of the eclectic space, was the most shocking item.

Supported by four bell shaped wrought iron struts, was the control console to a spaceship. Jackie's eyes dropped lower, drawn by further giggles and masculine laughter. There, clinging to the bottom of the support strut in a huddle, was Rose and two strangers, a blonde haired girl, and an auburn haired man.

Fury and fear commingled in Jackie's chest. She was on a spaceship. With her daughter. Who appeared to be getting quite snuggly with two aliens. As if drawn by Jackie's gaze, Rose looked up. And froze, eyes going wide. She scooted back, landing squarely in the man's lap. Then Rose seemed to realise what she'd done, and flushed crimson down to the dark roots of her hair. "Mum…"

Jackie decided to get the first word in. "Don't 'Mum' me, young lady. Now, Rose has been missing for five and a half months, so I deserve an explanation from all of you." She directed her last words towards the two unknown aliens. The auburn haired man was staring at her with a mixture of dawning shock and horror. The blonde haired girl was gazing at him with a you're so busted kind of look.

The Doctor's day was not turning out how he planned. For one thing, they weren't on Midnight. For another thing, his ship was a traitor. He levelled an irritated glare on the blue police box sitting innocently on the threadbare carpet. Her pleased hum filled his head. Jackie prowled back into the room, balancing four mugs of tea on a tray just as worn and cheery as the rest of the flat. She handed him a mug, which he was horrified to note had no sugar or milk. Then she passed a cup to Rose, who was perched on the arm of his chair. Jackie gave a cup of tea to Sam, and sat down on the couch with her own mug. She leaned forward, eyes blazing. "Now, tell me. What the hell is going on? And who are you?"

The Doctor remembered Rose's tales of Jackie's ferocity, and desperately wanted to quail under that fierce gaze. Oh, how dearly he wished that they'd met under different circumstances. Ones slightly more favourable. The Doctor pasted on a charming smile. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Samantha Jones."

Jackie narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the Doctor and Sam. "That isn't your real name is it, Samantha?"

Sam took a polite sip of her tea, and stifled a grimace. "No, I usually go by Sam, and I know what you're implying. I'm not an alien. I'm from Shoreditch."

Jackie stared at her for a moment, blinked, and focused her attention on the Doctor. It was slightly unnerving. "Where are you from, Doctor?"

The Doctor toyed idly with the hem of his frock coat. "Gallifrey. I'm a Time Lord. And the ship is called the TARDIS. She's-"

He was cut off by an earsplitting racket coming from the direction of the kitchen. Jackie let out a curse, shooting to her feet. "The toaster!"

She dashed out of the room, leaving the Doctor, Rose, and Sam to exchange bemused glances. Then something else happened. The telly, which had been on a commercial break, abruptly went silent. Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor caught a flash of strangely familiar ruby red curls and turquoise eyes. Seconds later, a voice bearing a Scottish burr began to speak. The Doctor's head whipped around. The Rani sat at a desk, shuffling around some papers. Then she lifted her head, smiling angelically. "Don't listen to the fake news. That is all for today."

The TV went back to commercials with an anticlimactic click. The Doctor shook his head, confused. What was the Rani doing playing newscaster? And what did she mean by that? On the tail end of the Doctor's head shake, his gaze fell on Sam. She was smiling vacantly in a distinctly un-Sam-like manner. Not again! How much would they go through because of him? A second glance at Rose confirmed his fears. The Doctor quickly knelt in front of her, putting all the power he could into his words. "Rose. Snap out of it."

Rose sat bolt upright, the smile wiped from her face. Then she looked at the Doctor, and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

He stood up, and hugged her tightly. "Anytime, Rose Tyler." The Doctor said, and pressed a kiss to her hair.

The Doctor went and repeated the procedure with Sam. After double checking that they were both okay, the Doctor straightened, and strode into the kitchen. Jackie was bent over, staring into the toaster oven. Smoke and soot billowed out in thick clouds, getting into her hair. She glanced up as the Doctor entered, and for a short moment, wariness and a tinge of fear were writ plain on her face. Then she straightened, putting on an annoyed scowl. "What is it now?"

He maintained his distance, but watched her closely. "There is something strange going on, isn't there?"

The Doctor said quietly. Instantly, Jackie's expression was guarded. "How did you know?"

The Doctor waved a hand, noting as he did so that Jackie had taken a couple hasty steps back and stank of fear. He guessed that she wasn't afraid of him, but rather some external factor. "It doesn't matter. And I assure you, as long as the three of us are around, you have nothing to fear."

Jackie didn't look particularly reassured, but she obligingly started speaking. "It started the beginning of October, about two weeks after my Rose disappeared. First this new news anchor showed up, and ran almost everyone else out of town. Faye Au Loup, I think her name is. Funny name, don't ya think? I met her in the street, once."

Jackie paused, shivering. It seemed that the memory wasn't very pleasant. "And?" The Doctor prompted gently.

Jackie's eyes darkened. "And pretty soon people started disappearing. Black cars, roving everywhere, looking for anyone out past dark. Sometimes, if they can't find anyone, they'll drag you out of your bed."

She watched him carefully. The Doctor's stomach twisted. He knew exactly where those people were going. And what likely awaited them. But he forced a reassuring smile. "Never fear, I have a plan."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Jackie threw her hands up in the air, and glared at the Doctor. "Get that bloody police box-ship-whatever out of my living room. Then meet me back here."

The Doctor nodded, and bounced out of the room. It was good to have a plan. But one thing still bothered him. Why use the French word for wolf as a last name? The Doctor brushed the thought away uneasily.

Ten minutes later, they had parked the TARDIS down by the Powell Estates playground. The sun was hanging low on the horizon, and the few people around were giving them fearful or belligerent, angry looks. Rose had seen similar looks from people on downtrodden, fearful planets, but seeing it so close to home was terrible to behold. It tied Rose's stomach up in knots.

She squared her shoulders, and stared down the closest pair of people. Sam was doing much the same. The Doctor stared ahead unconcernedly, as if he didn't notice the worrying state of affairs. Knowing the Doctor, he had noticed. Rose thought about the plan they'd discussed on the way over. It was harebrained, all right.

But then again, all the Doctor's plans were. And they usually worked. The Doctor pulled open the stairwell door, and waited only long enough for them to slip into the stairwell before beginning to bound up the stairs himself. Sam grinned at Rose. "Race ya!"

If home wasn't a place, then it was certainly these two people. Rose grinned back. "Only if you wanna lose!"

Then the two of them charged up the stairs, breezing past a smiling Doctor. They were racing up the corridor, the Doctor swiftly gaining on them, when Rose stopped in her tracks, remembering something. The Doctor and Sam stopped, too, gazing at her curiously. "My cell phone! I forgot it in the TARDIS."

The Doctor had a funny expression on his face, but he started fishing around in his pockets anyway. After a second, he came up with two oddly shaped keys on long necklace-style chains. Rose recognised them as TARDIS keys. The Doctor smiled, and there was a tinge of pride to his expression as he handed one to Sam, then the other to Rose. "TARDIS keys. High time you two had your own, if you ask me."

Rose slipped it around her neck, an odd, happy feeling bubbling in her chest. She smiled at Sam and the Doctor. "Right then. Back in two ticks."

Rose started for the stairwell, but stopped when the Doctor lightly touched her wrist. "Are you sure you don't want us to accompany you?" Rose nodded slowly, feeling an emotion she couldn't quite grasp.

There was a depth of emotion in those grey-blue eyes that did something to her. "I'll be fine. Thank you." She hugged the Doctor, and started for the stairwell.

The Doctor watched her go, shrugging off some small worry. Then he turned to Sam, and smiled. "Let's go inside and face the music, shall we? Rose will be back soon."

Sam pinched her nose. "I look forward to it." She said sarcastically.

The Doctor shook with silent laughter, but obligingly opened the door for Sam. They stepped into the foyer, unsure of what - or rather who - to expect. When they entered the living room, they found Mickey Smith sitting in the chair next to Jackie's, holding a cup of tea, and chatting idly. All conversation ceased as they entered the room. Sam crossed her arms, and stared at Mickey. He glared right back. "You."

Sam rolled her eyes, for once seeming her age. "Yes, me. Got any better insults?"

Mickey grimaced, as if tasting something vile. Then he focused on the Doctor. "Where is Rose, anyway? Parking that ship of yours outside?"

Rose picked her way towards the TARDIS. She didn't see her assailant until it was too late, and they were forcing a sickly sweet-smelling bag over her head. Still, Rose managed to get some good blows in before unconsciousness swept over her.

Sam sat on the couch next to the Doctor, watching him carefully. With each passing minute, he wound tighter, acting like a coiled spring. Finally he sprang to his feet. "Rose could be in danger. I have to check. I'll be right back. Sam, stay here."

With that, he left the apartment. Sam locked eyes with Jackie. "I don't know about you, but I'm not staying here."

Jackie nodded, eyes resolute, and they exited the apartment. The Doctor was nowhere to be found, clearly having broken into a run. They burst from the door at the bottom of the stairs, and Sam's heart just about died in her chest. In the distance, Sam could just barely make out the Doctor's huddled form, slumped over on the ground.

He was clutching something small and metallic, something that hung on a long, glittering silver chain. Sam let out an inarticulate sound torn straight from her chest, and broke into a sprint. Distantly, she could hear Jackie yelling. Sam skidded to a halt next to the Doctor. His jaw was clenched, and his face contorted. "She's gone. The Rani took her. I-"

In the process of turning over the TARDIS key, they both noticed a little crystal growing out of the side of the key. The Doctor peered at it, and abruptly fell back as he was engulfed by a crackling aura of white energy.

.


End file.
